Piggyland
A new play by Graeme Powell
Directed by Carey Nicholson
September 9th – 20th, 2026
Piggyland is an exciting new drama by Graeme Powell. Inspired by true events that took place in
Sunderland, Ontario in the early 1960s, Piggyland is a tale of greed, deception and the pursuit of dreams.
Concocted by career conman John Laun, the Piggyland farm raised over a million dollars from investors eager to double, or even triple their investment. Instead, they lost it all.
The mysterious John Laun vanished without a trace…and so did all the money. Remember, If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is…
The Creatives
Graeme is a playwright and actor who is familiar to audiences throughout Durham Region from his many roles with Theatre on the Ridge, Borelians Community Theatre, and Oshawa Little Theatre, to name a few.
He is a member of the Playwright’s Guild of Canada, and his first play, Renovations, was awarded Best New Canadian Play at the Act-Co Festival in 2015. Other plays include: All
Together Now, Palmer Park, A Third of Richard, and a series of short plays called Pine Grove Plots. He lives in Sunderland with his family.
Carey Nicholson is a co-founder and current artistic director of Theatre on the Ridge and an accomplished director and theatre designer.
Originally trained in classical and contemporary dance, she has been on faculty with George Brown College and the Dance Arts Institute (formerly the School of the Toronto Dance Theatre) and is an independent arts educator.
Behind the Scenes
Suitable for ages 12 +
Running time: 90 minutes. No intermission
Cast and Crew
Graeme Powell as John Laun, Playwright
Graeme has appeared in many theatrical adventures and productions with Theatre on the Ridge, including Vimy and The Play’s The Thing. Recent roles include Bob Hicks in Outlaw (Borelians Community Theatre) and William Gillette/Sherlock Holmes in The Game’s Afoot (Oshawa Little Theatre). He’s grateful to everyone involved in making Piggyland a reality, and he wants to thank Carey for expertly guiding him through his own creation.
Craig Martin as Archie Easton
This is Craig’s second production with Theatre on the Ridge, having also appeared in “God of Carnage”. Craig has also worked with director, Carey Nicholson, at other venues in “The Diary of Anne Frank”, “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” and “To Kill A Mockingbird”
Craig also enjoys writing and has been a frequent contributor to the Theatre on the Ridge Snapshots Short Play Festival. Hiking is another passion of Craig’s and he is often exploring trails in Spain, Iceland, England, the U.S. and Canada.
Annette Stokes-Harris as Hilda
Annette is an award-winning actress and director with an Honours Specialist degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Waterloo. She was Artistic Director for Act One Theatre Company in Toronto and Chair of the Arts at All Saints High School in Whitby for 6 years. Some of the productions she has participated in with Theatre on the Ridge include Innocence Lost: A Play About Steven Truscott (Mrs. Truscott – Steven’s Mother), The Glass Menagerie (Amanda), Peter Pan (Mrs. Darling), and The Importance of Being Earnest (Director). Annette loves the freedom she experiences onstage, and the empathy that comes from completely inhabiting the circumstances of her characters.
Michael Serres as Emiel/Auctioneer
Michael has been involved in the Durham Region theatre community as an actor, director, sound designer, and educator for over 30 years. Some of the productions he has participated in with Theatre on the Ridge include Innocence Lost: A Play About Steven Truscott (Father, various other roles), Peter Pan (Mr. Darling, a pirate), Toronto Mississippi (King), The Importance of Being Earnest (Assistant Director), and The Glass Menagerie (Assistant Director). Michael is perpetually intrigued by the psychological interplay of character motivation and action, and the endless learning opportunities theatre affords.
Nathan Simpson as Harvey/Peter Beekman
Nate Simpson is a sportswriter, playwright, and actor from Oshawa, based in Toronto. As a writer, Nate’s work has been published by Sportsnet and the Canadian Paralympic Committee. His newest play El Jefe, which premiered at the Toronto Fringe in July, received a four-out-of-four star review from the Toronto Star. Onstage, Nate has performed with Theatre on The Ridge and 4th Line Theatre, and is a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Acting program. He is thrilled to be a part of Piggyland, and to work with the wonderful folks at Theatre on the Ridge.
Lisha Van Nieuwenhove as Larry/Maria
Lisha Van Nieuwenhove is delighted to work under the tent with Theatre on the Ridge! An actress and storyteller with an innate talent for both character work and comedic timing, Lisha worked extensively at Herongate Barn Dinner Theatre (with real-life husband Grant Evans). She has also worked with the Port Perry Borelians and OnStage Uxbridge. Deeply rooted in her community, Lisha is also a newspaper publisher, successfully bridging the gap between real-world community journalism and creative performance. She is driven by a love for human connection, razor-sharp dialogue, and collaborative storytelling.
Grant Evans as Frank/Doyle/Guard
Grant came to acting later in life,and has more than made up for time missed! He’s performed in Uxbridge as a member of the Uxbridge Players, OnStage Uxbridge, and with uxperience. He honed his improv skills doing interactive dinner theatre for many years, both at venues across Ontario and at Herongate Barn Dinner Theatre. Herongate is where he spent a great deal of time treading the boards, acting in comedies, dramas, farces and throwing himself downstairs and through windows on a regular basis. When not getting up to mischief onstage, Grant can be found working round the clock on his family dairy farm outside of Port Perry.
Howard Linscott as Norman
Howard has been seen on Durham stages frequently over the past 20 years, and first performed locally under Carey Nicholson’s direction in a production of Ethan Claymore. This is Howard’s first time on stage with Theatre on the Ridge.
Howard has a unique perspective on Graeme Powell’s plays — not from the audience, but from the stage! He has had the honour of being in every one of Graeme’s previous productions, and the tradition continues with Piggyland. For this, Howard is abundantly grateful, and so presumably is Graeme since he keeps on cashing Howard’s cheques.
Carey Nicholson – Director
Carey has been engaged in the performing and creative arts for over 40 yearsand is a co-founder and the current Artistic Director/General Manager of Theatre on the Ridge in Scugog Township, Region of Durham, Ontario.
Originally from St.Catharines, Carey moved to Toronto to pursue professional dance studies with Lois Smith, O.C. at George Brown College, and the School of the Toronto Dance Theatre, graduating from both professional programs and becoming a faculty member at STDT for 15 years before moving to Durham region. She has been
involved with community and professional theatre companies in Durham, York region and elsewhere as a board member, producer, director, choreographer, performer, instructor, set and costume designer. She has received several awards for her work in the performing arts, including a Durham Art of Transition Creative Award for her contribution to theatre in Durham. Her past, and ongoing, theatre studies include programs and courses at George Brown College, Toronto Dance Theatre, Tarragon Theatre, the Stratford Festival and Off The Wall
Theatre Alliance, and was an auditing director with Obsidian Theatre (production: hang, directors: Philip Akin, Kimberley Rampersad).
Lyle Corrigan – Vocal Director and Sound Designer
Lyle retired from a 30 year career in Music Education, where he taught disciplines varying from instrumental and vocal music through to music theatre and jazz. In addition, he has been an active performer since early childhood, and has recently been found skulking around tech booths providing audio and lighting design. Lyle is pleased to be working with Theatre on the Ridge again.
Joanne Norman – Stage Manager
Joanne is an actor, teacher, director, lighting designer and stage manager who has been contributing to theatre for over 40 years. Her recent work includes stage managing Monsters and Milfoil as well as, Boys, Girls and Other Mythological Creatures for Theatre on the Ridge, playing Mattie Faye in August: Osage County for Oshawa Little Theatre, and appearing in Love, Loss and What I Wore here in Port Perry. Joanne’s technical work has earned her recognition in the theatre community via two THEA awards. She is honoured to be working with such a talented group of people on this world premier of Graeme Powell’s Piggyland.
Aaron Arculus – Set and Props
Aaron is a fashion student at Toronto Metropolitan University and hopes to pursue a career in costume design. Aaron has participated in and won awards in secondary school theatre productions. Aaron has skills in illustration, painting, felting, sewing, weaving, knitting, accessories, jewelry, embroidery, block printing, and digital design. Aaron is so excited to be working with Theatre On The Ridge this summer!
Grace Perlmutter Lighting Design & Costumes
Grace is honoured to be joining Theatre on the Ridge. They are a recent graduate of Sheridan College’s
Technical Production for the Performing Arts program where she specialized in Wardrobe, Stage Management and Lighting. She recently completed a co-op at the Shaw Festival.
Grace would like to thank her family and friends for all their support!
Select credits include: Stage Manager – Canterbury Tales, Assistant Stage Manager – Something Rotten! Stitcher – Legally Blonde, Great Comet of 1812 (Theatre Sheridan). Lighting Technician – Edward II (Theatre Erindale).
